Safety was front and center on an historic day in Toronto as International President John Costa, Local 113-Toronto, ON, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and Centennial College convened nearly 200 Local leaders, transit agency officials, bus manufacturers, transit organizations, and academia from across North America for the ATU Bus Safety and Innovation Summit, an innovative labor-management partnership to build a safer, better bus to combat growing violence on transit and address other safety and health issues.
“Our Union has been pounding on the issue of safety for our members and riders for decades. Just weeks ago, our Local 308-Chicago, IL, Brother Julian Mobley was killed on the job. When I came into office in 2019, our Local 1593-Tampa, FL, Brother Thomas Dunn was stabbed to death on his bus, and I can go on and on,” said Costa. “This program would be impossible without a commitment to giving workers a seat at the table. Nobody knows what needs to change on a bus better than our members who drive and work on them eight, ten hours or more a day. Thank you to the TTC and Centennial College for recognizing, like the ATU, that the future of transit safety is best achieved through collaboration. Now let’s get it done.”
A highlight of the day included a press conference where Local 113 Member Anna Cohen and Local 1505-Winnipeg, MB, Member Crystal Hanley told their harrowing stories of being attacked on their bus. Attendees also participated in engaging workshops on developing a fully enclosed operator workstation, eliminating dangerous blind spots, improving airflow, and creating more ergonomic operator seats.
Thank you to all who attended for creating a safer and better workplace for transit workers across the world.